Tears of Yesterday
by Ember Mage
Summary: [Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime] Collections of Altessa drabbles.
1. long lost fables

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Chapter notes:** If you don't know what happens after episode 27 and don't want to find out yet, this will make no sense to you.

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**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #1 - long lost fables**

* * *

When Altessa was little, her favorite part of the day was right before bedtime, when Bright would spend most of his time reading his favorite storybooks. She'd latch onto his arm, staring at the beautifully-detailed images accompanied with a long tale of adventures about knights lashing at beasts, or fairies dancing in the moonlight. Much as she loved the breath-taking stories themselves, she loved the lazy feeling in the air that settled around them as Bright read out in a loud, clear voice.

Besides the mystical adventures of heroes and heroines living happily ever after, Altessa loved fables. She always thought it was intriguing that a story could represent a moral in life. Though she wasn't the most intelligent thinker in the world, she liked to explain what she thought about the fable when Bright did not seem to agree or did not understand the story.

Altessa's favorite fable in particular was the one about the donkey in the lion's skin. It was logical that she shouldn't try to act like anyone else because that was completely absurd and wannabe-like. Sometimes she envied other people who seemingly had a better fortune than her, but Bright would say that her that her personality was the essence that made her stand out from others. Even though it seemed like a mere compliment, Altessa knew he meant much more than that. He was always encouraging her and doing such wonderful things for her. To Altessa, Bright important to her as much as the morals in the book.

Altessa could tell Bright loved to read. After he finished her favorite books, she'd ask him to read it again, and he'd gladly comply without any complaint or hesitation. When her sleepy jade eyes started to settle in a tiresome slumber, she'd always remember the loving atmosphere that hung around her, giving her the feeling that there was someone who still loved her.

Now, Altessa would sit by the bookshelf standing near the sunset-filled window, wondering why her brother said he hated her. The book of fables was still there, but she felt that to him they were long lost.


	2. child found crying in the winter tree

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #2 - child found crying in the winter tree**

* * *

A 5-year-old Altessa woke up to find the scene in her window filled with a phenomenon that she had never experienced before in real life. She had seen pictures of it in Bright's book of fairy tales, but she had never first-hand seen it before her eyes.

The glittering gems on the rooftops of the other buildings were hooded in white caps. The ground was blanketed in pure, feathery sheets. Below, some of the townspeople, huddled in their parkas, were leaving tiny footprints along the perfect blank clusters that settled on the dirt. 

It was snowing.

The first thing Altessa thought of was to tell her brother. Excitedly, as soon as she spotted him, she loudly squealed, "Onii-sama! Onii-sama! It's snowing! It's really _snowing_!"

Bright laughed. "Yes, it's snowing! Let's go see if we can go outside!"

He seemed to share her eagerness to head on outside. As soon as they were properly dressed and told the servants where they were going, the two rushed into the castle garden, where snow drops had landed on the rose bushes.

Altessa noticed the frost plastering onto the plants, and gasped at the twinkling crystals that captured the light of the sun. Bending down to take a closer look, she gasped, breathless at the mysterious beauty. "Pretty,"was all she could say, her lime-green eyes glistening at the sight.

An awkward squawk broke out from the sky. A flock of birds in a V formation were flapping across the cerulean horizon. Altessa squinted to catch the sight of them, as did Bright, shading his eyes. 

"That's strange," he commented. "I read that birds always flew south in the fall, not the winter."

Altessa nodded, but another thought occured to her. "Onii-sama, remember that story about the birds in the winter? They must be special types of birds, and maybe they're going to that rainbow fountain place!" 

"Maybe they are!" agreed Bright.

"Let's go follow them, Onii-sama!" suggested Altessa in an eager voice. "I want to see a rainbow fountain!"

"We should tell Hahaue first."

Altessa brightened. They were going to go to the rainbow fountain, just like the birds did in that story! "Okay!" she yipped, trying to suppress her jubilance.

The blonde started walking quickly in circles. "We're going to see the rainbow fountain! We're going to see the rainbow fountain!" 

Altessa broke out in a clumsy jog. Her bundled clothing prevented her from running properly, and her legs tangled themselves when her foot slipped on a slick piece of bark on the roots of a winter tree. Immediately, her legs shot out from under and with a cry, Altessa tumbled onto her stomach.

Within seconds tears started to form at her eyes. She knew big girls shouldn't cry, and it was just an accident, but from the surprise, Altessa felt horrible all the same. She continued wailing, her blotchy face reddening as they became engulfed in salty tears.

It seemed to go on forever, until a figure settled in front of her. Soft hands grasped her own, and gently pulled her up to her knees. Bright gently embraced his sister, patting her back and murmuring,"It's all right, Altessa." The princess would only respond by holding her older brother tight and raising the loudness of her voice.

The siblings never ended up embarking on a journey to any fountain of rainbows of any sort, even if it had existed. Even though they had made plans to head off on a quest to find it, they never did. Bright had even drawn up a map, but it was soon lost in his room and forgotten. Bright and Altessa may have abandoned their dream, but their bond was seemingly the opposite.

Years later, Altessa toured her brother's room, looking for clues to where he had gone. She came upon the crumpled piece of paper containing scrawls of what looked like a map. For some reason, the princess' eyes started to tear up as she remembered the days before Bright had left.


	3. lemongrass summer

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #3 - lemongrass summer**

* * *

Cosmetics and makeup were part of the precocious child's life. Altessa had seen servants apply ebony-black eyeliner onto her mother's eyes and filled her lips up with coats of ruby lipstick. Throughout her spying, Altessa made little notes on how something simple as a bottle of gloss could make her mother's face look so beautiful. Her mother had said that she was too young for makeup, but occasionally Altessa explored the boundary of being a lady as she secretly tried out bits of blush and eyeshadow.

One of Altessa's favorite things about her mother's gigantic store of makeup were the perfume bottles. The diverse containers curved in unique, aesthetic shapes and were arranged in a rainbow formation, from ruby red to magenta pink. The crystallized gems embroidered on the covers seemed to tempt Altessa into testing their scent. As she strolled along the shelves of the bottles, she squeezed the rubber pumps dangling freely from the bottles, squirting out clouds of extravagant smells.

Altessa frowned at a couple, smiled at a few, and even tried some out on herself. One bottle in particular caught her eye. It wasn't the way the bottle looked, or even its lemon-lime color, but it was the golden letters engraved onto the front that delivered the name of the flavor: lemongrass summer.

Finding this peculiar, the blonde wondered what the scent of summer was. She had imagined the multifarious flavors of flowers in the bloom, but no, that was stereotypically spring. She had already decided that autumn had the scent of airy fruity flavors (like pumpkin, for instance) and winter a spicy mint.

Altessa became much more curious and picked up the bottle with her tiny hands. She squirted the smell in the air, and to her surprise, the smell was a combination of sour and floral. She pressed the handle again and again, trying to inhale more of the pneumatic flavor encoded in the bottle.

She enjoyed the smell, but was still curious to why it was considered the summer. Maybe because of the ripeness of fruit during the hot season? Maybe because the electric flavor was supposed to represent the intense heat of the sun? Altessa carefully opened the cap and dabbed a few drops onto her wrist, and hurried to Bright. If there was someone who knew anything, it was Prince Bright of the Jewelry Kingdom.

She found him sitting at the tea table in the castle garden, reading as usual. Quickly sticking out her wrist, Altessa demanded impatiently, "Onii-sama, smell."

Bright hesitated, looking slightly perplexed at her sudden order. "What for, Altessa?"

"Summer. It says that it smells like summer. Why does it?"

The boy grasped his sister's hand, inhaling the smell pressed onto her skin. "It's nice,"he commented, "but there are many varieties to what summer can be." 

"Oh." Altessa could only blink in confusion. 

Bright laughed in a light tone, leading his sister out of the garden. "Here, I'll show you."

Altessa instinctively knew that Bright was heading off somewhere. "Where are we going, Onii-sama?"

The prince stopped walking, and pressed a finger at her forehead. "Close your eyes. I'll tell you when we get there and when to open them."

The green-eyed girl glanced at Bright in suspicion and pondered this for a moment. What could her brother be planning? Even so, she trusted him and knew he would never lead her into any harm or danger. Shrugging, she let her eyelids fall and grasped her brother's hand tighter so she wouldn't bump into things as much.

The long journey began. Altessa found herself blindly committing clumsy steps here and there. As she nearly fell over, she continued asking Bright if they were there, in which he would respond to as a no.

Altessa tried prying open her eyes, but Bright noticed. Stopping again, he cheerfully reminded her, "No peeking!" Once he saw that she completely shut her eyes, he continued.

"Are we there yet, Onii-sama?" Altessa questioned him a myriad of times. 

"Not yet."

A gust of wind puffed softly against her face. The heat of the sun embraced her. Altessa knew that they weren't in the castle garden (or possibly not even near the castle) any longer. Intensifying her grip, she asked again in a tired voice,"Are we there _now_?"

"Be patient, Altessa."

After what seemed like a million years and a million miles, Bright finally said the magic words. "You can open your eyes now."

Altessa lifted her eyelids and before her rested a large, open field. Dandelions waved in the caress of the summer breeze, and the grass seemed to repeat the same dance. The open sight with no buildings restricting the boundaries made the world seem larger.

The princess was speechless.

"You see, Altessa?" murmured Bright, shading his eyes from the blaze of the sunlight.

Altessa tilted her head aside, regaining her ability of communication. "See what, Onii-sama?"

He smiled at the sight of the floating clouds before sighing in satisfaction. "Perfume doesn't tell you anything,"stated Bright gently. "It only gives out the smell of what a person imagines it to be, but it's only a word in the long story of the season. Think about it; can the smell of a perfume describe the opening blossoms and the warmth of the light? Can it display the touch of the wind, the dance of the butterflies, and the aquamarine skies?"

He lazily stretched out his arms, closing his eyes as a cool, soft breeze passed by his body, lifting his scarlet cape from behind his back. Altessa stared at him in wonder, and did the same.

To her amazement, he was correct for sure. The smell of the perfume couldn't possibly explain the variety of scents lying in the summer field.


	4. drowned fields

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Chapter notes:** Thanks to Theory Girl for some help with editing this chapter.

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #4 - drowned fields**

* * *

Princess Altessa lived in a very wealthy kingdom. She had servants that would cater to her every whim, lots of beautiful gear for her daily wear, a warm bed, and enough food to make her bloated every single day. Nothing could possibly go wrong in her life, except for a few nitpicky things, such as a misplaced jewel on her rings. Eventually, a day came when she would feel very grateful for what she currently had.

Recently, a storm passed by the kingdom and blazed for days. Winds screeched, rain drizzled heavily, thunder roared, and lightning made its dangerous presence. It was strange; things like this usually wouldn't happen. Later Bright said it was because of an error with the cloud machine at the Water Drop Kingdom. 

Luckily, very little damage occured around the kingdom, but Bright reported that the Water Drop Kingdom was in critical condition. The usually calm streams surrounding the castle and minor villages reduced the houses into rubble. The debris was terrible, and it would take a long time to rebuild the entire kingdom.

Other kingdoms were affected by the storm as well. Near the Water Drop Kingdom, the water had made its way into the Seed Kingdom, flooding the fields and destroying many of the small mushroom villages.

A week later, things hadn't gotten any better. Bright, with the permission of his parents, penned a letter to the royal families of the Water Drop Kingdom and the Seed Kingdom, offering them help in rebuilding their ruined civilization.

Altessa knew that the situation was horrible, but somehow was unsympathetic. As Bright spoke about dozens of citizens stranded in poverty with no place to live or work, Altessa simply asked, "Why can't they just move and get a job?"

Bright sighed heavily, brushing his bronze bangs out of his forehead. "Altessa, life is harder than we think. While we live in a rich province there are some unfortunate people who don't. Moving out and traveling is very complicated — we'd also have to find shelter for the people to rest in, and if too many people try to get jobs in other kingdoms, the job competition would be much rougher. The weak would die out quickly, especially in a capitalistic society."

Altessa blinked, not understanding half of what Bright meant.

Even so, he continued, his voice residing in that same, tired tone. "It's impossible to completely understand how they feel, especially when we've never lived their lives. Perhaps maybe if we visited the Seed Kingdom, you'd know more."

"Ah... sure, Onii-sama," said Altessa.

There was nothing else to say. 

In the next few days, Altessa and Bright traveled along the border between the Water Drop Kingdom and the Seed Kingdom with Bright's mount, Ruby. Instead of the strong, glorious huts and houses that once stood proudly against the sheer blue of the sky they were now a heaped, crumpled mess.

Altessa turned her head towards the Water Drop Kingdom half-expecting to see the blue-and-white building, but instead a dusty, ragged pile sat pathetically before her. She tugged at her brother's sleeve. "Onii-sama, where's the castle?"

"That _is_ the castle, Altessa,"answered Bright in a dull tone.

That was certainly not the worst part. As the two siblings crossed the flooded fields of the countryside, they saw people chasing and beating each other into pulp over a small crossaint. Muddy water flung into the air as they tackled one another, and dirty fists flew in punches, causing some to spew blood. The younger and weaker of the proles were sitting by their mother, crying out of famish, while senior citizens waved their canes angrily, swiping at competition for their food. 

"Mine! It's _miiiiiiine_!"

"Get your grubby hands away!"

"Go to hell, you little—" 

"Why don't you screw off?"

The princess of the Jewelry Kingdom was shocked, stricken with fear as the proletariats continued their mad brawl. They were no longer acting like humans, but heartless monsters, complete with insanity out of hunger, starvation, and grief.

Altessa grasped onto Bright. "Onii-sama... what happened? Why aren't they leaving? Why aren't they getting shelter?"

Bright solemnly stared at the scene. "They have no money, nor do they have enough to travel off into a distant kingdom. They are not as lucky as we are." 

Altessa turned and saw bodies floating in the water, except none of them appear to be swimming. At a closer look, the pallid face of a corpse had its lips slightly parted, and eyes rolling off in an interminable glare.

It almost made her sick.

Turning her head in the opposite direction, Altessa saw a younger child chewing on what looked like — no, it really was — a human arm. By the shape of the fingers and the curves of the slender rod, there was no doubt that cannibalism had accompanied hunger.

The experience was a living nightmare.

One of the starving citizens noticed Bright and Altessa, rubbing his eyes delicately as if God had answered his prayers at last. "I-It's... you're... it's really _you_!"

Other people quickly noticed as well, suddenly making a run towards them. Various shouts of their names and demands for help suddenly filled the air, the fight over the crossaint forgotten. "Prince Bright-samaaaaa! We're so glad you're here! Help us! Help us!!"

They were seen. It was too late to leave without saying anything. If they happened to ignore the needy people, then Bright and Altessa would be in obvious shame and could be publically scorned for the rest of their lives. They had nothing to nourish the people's undying need and could not do anything.

Altessa shot a glance at Bright. He always knew what to do, but this time, she sensed his uneasiness. If Bright couldn't do anything then... a tear quickly streamed down her cheek, followed by others, and she squeezed Bright's arm, whimpering. She did not want to endure any second of this horrific scene any longer. 

Bright made a fast decision. He quickly placed his younger sister on Ruby and mounted as well, waving a shaky hand towards the public. "Everyone!" he called in a loud clear voice. "My kingdom has been notified of your situation. We will arrive with food and shelter as soon as possible!"

The crowd started cheering, but one of the participants stopped. "And _when_ will that be?" he grumbled hoarsely, shifting his eye into a glare.

"I can't say when,"admitted Bright, "but —"

"What good are _you_, then?" he roared, reaching into the mud and revealing a huge ball of wet dirt. "We need food _now_! We're starving, our children are starving, and you come here with nothing!"

"Wait, I —" Bright started, but soon other members of the party, in their fatigue of hunger, joined the man's suit. Praises suddenly became insults and pretty soon mudballs were flying in the air.

The violence and hate had escalated to the point where Bright found it useless to try to reason with them. He had no choice but to turn Ruby around and ride off.

For a long time, Altessa did not dare to plant a foot in that area again, especially after that day. Even after the kingdoms were renewed, and the poverty dimmed, she was still afraid to see the insane people, the corpses in the water, and the children with blood smeared shamefully over their lips. Even when the citizens apologized for their cruel behavior Altessa would still never forget the day where her dress was splashed in brown from the angry mob who demanded food and supplements.


	5. midnight market

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #5 - midnight market**

* * *

Downtown was a place where Altessa would travel to on her once-in-a-while shopping trips to purchase the latest designs for her vast collection of gems. Every gem-encrusted building twinkled under the sunlight as she scanned from hut to hut in her crystallized carriage. The jeweled roofs gleamed, the pure white walls glittered, and even the cobblestones on the ground seemed to shine.

In the fresh morning light, Altessa would arrive at the window, watching the beautiful scenery from the castle. At night, the dim lights pouring from the insides of the townhouses gave the town a mysterious glow. The markets at night bustled with shops with shining signs and even lights dangling from house to house. The night seemingly was busier than the daytime, as many shops and stands appeared to open at that time. Attractive signs lured the consumers from shop to shop. 

Sometimes Altessa would show her brother the view from the window, hoping to participate in the ritual of shopping in such a glamorous place at that very certain time. She wasn't allowed to leave the castle because of her curfew (and her parents' paranoia of thugs at night), but Bright promised her that one day, he would take her out under the dark sky to go jewelry-shopping.


	6. the lady that found the moon

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #6 - the lady that found the moon**

* * *

Most of childhood contained questions in which the answers must always be asked for thoroughly explained, or determined from the bottom of your heart. Young Altessa had a curious mind, the tip of her tongue filled with dozens of things she had always wondered about. Her mother had always told her that a good little girl must not poke her head into places where she wasn't supposed to be. In other words, Queen Camellia had suggested her to not ask so many questions. Curiosity killed the cat, after all. Despite her mother's warnings, Altessa couldn't help wonder why this was so and why that happened. She'd even share a few questions with Bright to see if he could give her an answer.

Altessa loved asking Bright anything, because he was the only one who actually listened to her. Much as she loved asking her older brother, she also liked to guess to make sure she was correct. Most of the time she was wrong, but hey, she wasn't the best thinker in the world.

When it was nighttime, the sun had casted its light westbound, and taking its spot was the golden moon. Altessa sat next to her brother on the soft plush pillows as he flipped through yet another book, this time about the legends of nature. As he read about the separation between the sun and the moon, Altessa stole a glance at the bejeweled midnight sky.

"Onii-sama, why is the sun gone?" Altessa asked.

Bright followed her stare up to the shining org hanging lightly among the dark blue. "The sun is shining towards the other kingdoms as we speak."

"How did the moon come out so quickly?" Altessa pressed.

"The Moon Kingdom's moon is on the other side of the Sunny Kingdom, where the Sun's Blessing is."

"Ohhh." Altessa continued staring, and then found another thing to ask.

"How did the moon appear? Did someone find it or something? Wait, it's Moon Maria-sama, the queen of the Moon Kingdom, isn't it?" Altessa cautiously placed a finger on her temple, continuing to think about the mysteries of the kingdom she rarely knew about.

"It came into existance way before our time on the Wonder Planet,"answered Bright solemnly, thoughtfully juggling the question in his mind as though he couldn't place his finger on it. "We could look it up in the library tomorrow, if you want. It's too late right now."

"Okay," responded Altessa. She had come to a dead end, where she was out of things to ask and didn't want to bother Bright anymore. Bright returned to his story about the sun and the moon. Tomorrow would wait.


	7. cross my palm with silver, I cannot tell

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #7 - cross my palm with silver, I cannot tell a lie**

* * *

Being a perfect princess meant an adequate taste of music and fine arts must be required. For a long time, Altessa had been forced to play a musical instrument, more specifically, the elegant piano. Every day, she sat on the dark, black bench with her hands perched onto the black-and-white keys, slipping them in riveting chords as she drummed a tune or two.

Altessa disliked the piano but often felt that if she didn't play it, her mother would be displeased with her. Hour after hour, she practiced various soongs over and over again, adjusting to each style and tempo as the keys rippled in a water-like sound. She played classics, she played jazz, she played whatever. Many of the servants said that Altessa's playing was wonderful, but Altessa really didn't think so.

As she was playing her most recent song (seemingly derived from the Moon Kingdom), her hands stumbled off into a shattered chord. Picking up her hands again, she knew this imperfection simply would not do for a perfect princess like her. She proceeded into letting her hands loose on their graceful dance across the keys, but ended up in the same intangible mistake. Altessa played the part again, slower and slower each time so she would get used to how the chord was supposed to be played. Instead of ending in a soothing ripple, her hands clumsily forced their way into a messed up chord.

How come she couldn't do it? Altessa grumbled in frustration, repeating the same suit she had been following for the last 15 minutes for the umpteenth time. Alas, once again, her hands failed to work their magic across the piano keys, never managing to smooth out the knot in her song. Her annoyance with this was too much for her to handle. Altessa resulted in angrily slamming her hands down upon the keys, growling. 

"Altessa, what's the matter?" asked Bright, who happened to be passing by.

Altessa tried to explain, but the emotion was too puzzling to fathom; instead she mumbled out random ideas incoherently. "I just don't get this,"she sputtered, folding her arms across her chest.

Bright placed a hand on the shiny black shell of the piano. He solemnly stared at the structure and frame of the instrument, and then he turned to Altessa. "Do you not like piano?"

Altessa tried to be honest. "Well, I do,"she answered reluctantly, "but the thing is, um, I'd rather spend my time listening to you read instead of... you know..."

To her surprise, the prince did not seem disappointed in her, nor was he trying to encourage her to be more "perfect" by forcing a taste of art within her. Instead, he took a seat on the bench beside her, scrutinizing the piece in front of her. Bright smiled in his usual, lazy manner. 

"Altessa, music is a way to universal communicate without words,"spoke up Bright, beginning another one of his philosophical lectures. "Some people don't speak the same language as we, and some do not even speak at all. Music is by all means a language anyone can understand because it is conveyed by emotions, not words. The concept of music is a way to show others how you're feeling without actually displaying emotions on your face." 

Bright pointed at the composition paper in front of her. "Tell me, what is this song called?"

Altessa was inscrutable by what her brother was trying to point towards, but she read aloud the title anyway. "_Cross My Palm With Silver, I Cannot Tell a Lie_."

"And what does that mean?" Bright pressed.

"Well, I..." started Altessa, but faltered. "Does it mean that someone is being paid to tell the truth?"

Bright's smile widened. "You're getting there. Who gets paid to tell the truth?"

Altessa placed a finger on her chin and thought. "Traitors. Assassins. People who are bribed."

"Not just that,"added the caramel-haired boy, "but a fortune teller too."

"Ohhh, I get it!" cried the princess excitedly. "A fortune teller is often paid with valuables like silver, and then she tells the truth often by what she sees in the person! I understand now, Onii-sama!"

Bright laughed, clapping softly. "That's right, Altessa. Songs can tell stories, and you can tell the tale about this mysterious gypsy on the street with this song." He stole a glance at the sheet again. "On this part where you play slowly and softly, this describes the mystery of the fortune teller, and when you approach a crescendo, she starts telling the secret of the supposed future."

Altessa shook her head. "No. I don't want to play."

"Don't you want to share a story?"

"No,"repeated Altessa, standing up from the bench. "I'd rather share it my own way, without having to play this stupid thing. I don't care if Okaa-sama or Otou-sama get mad." She turned her nose up into the air for emphasis.

Bright shrugged and stood up as well. "I'm sure they'll accept whatever you believe in, Altessa, if that's what you want."

The princess stared back at her brother, and then at the piano. Bright had helped her understand music better, and maybe Camellia was onto something when she wanted Altessa to start studying art. Taking her seat again, she mumbled, "Maybe just this once I'll play. But only once for Onii-sama, and then I'm done for the day." 

Altessa began playing the piano again, and surprisingly this time, she did not make as many mistakes as she had before.


	8. the concubine's laughter

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #8 - the concubine's laughter**

* * *

One afternoon, Altessa fingered through Bright's bookshelf, looking for her favorite book about morals. As she searched through various covers with hardcovers or gold-encrusted letters, she slowly passed the rows over and over again to see if she had missed anything. During her search, one book caught her eye -- it was titled _The Concubine's Laughter_.

Curious as to why it was titled with a peculiar name, Altessa selected the book and gently tugged it from its tight confines. Was the book humorous? Altessa had always loved stories that made her laugh. Was it a melodramatic romance? Altessa had always been interested in the yearnings between lovers. Either way curiosity had gotten ahold of her, and she opened the thin cover, scanning her jade-colored eyes across the fine print in the pages.

The story had something to do with a royal family. Altessa wondered if the story was one of those stereotypical and oh, so common fairy tales about a prince looking for his lover and then having a cotillion to search for her. As she went on, she realized that the beginning was dull. To her disapppointment, it seemed boring, but Altessa continued, hoping for a twist of events that would change the story.

Amazingly, Altessa was soon dragged into the plot of the story as she read through the concubine laughing at the signal fires. She understood the title now, and was thrilled with the ending. The ending was terrible for the characters, but Altessa found the universal moral in the tale interesting. When she closed the book with her small hands, Bright suddenly appeared in the room.

"_Onii-sama_!" gasped Altessa, taking a step back. "You scared me!"

Bright chuckled, and came closer to his bookshelf. "I'm surprised to see you here, Altessa." He noticed the rectangular shape in Altessa's arms and smiled. "What are you reading?" 

Altessa showed him the book. "_The Concubine's Laughter_."

Bright nodded. "I see. I haven't read that book yet."

"Ohhh, but you should," suggested Altessa.

"All right, Altessa," said Bright in response, accepting the slender book from his sister. "Just don't spoil the ending for me."


	9. mad in the teahouse

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #9 - mad in the teahouse**

* * *

Bright, aware of the nearly-broken relationship between the Jewelry Kingdom and the Windmill Kingdom, decided to communicate with the prince and princess of the opposing kingdom, just for a friendly conversation. He had hoped that this would ease tension between the two countries, and often believed that the prince and princess were unsupportive of the rivalry just like he was.

Altessa, on the other hand, disagreed. Days after Bright sent the invitation for a tea party in the castle garden, she complained irritably about Bright trying to make friends with the wrong people. "I can't believe you're doing this,"she huffed, placing her ringed fists on both sides of her hips. "You _know_ just how much we hate them!" 

"I don't _hate_ them, Altessa," admitted Bright. "I don't think they're my friends either. I know they are not our allies, but maybe there's more to them than just the balloon race. I have always heard about the wonderful things that the royal family is doing for their country. Give it a chance, Altessa." 

"Whatever," groaned the petite princess.

A couple of days later, the familiar airship with the Windmill Kingdom crest embedded onto it flew over by the castle, leaving Prince Auler and Princess Sophie from its confines. Bright welcomed them with as much heart as he could, though Altessa could tell that he was feeling slightly awkward that he was communicating with the prince and princess of the rivaling country.

"Greetings," said Bright gently, bowing politely. "I am honored at your presence for attending."

Prince Auler stoically glanced at Bright's welcome, and sheepishly accepted Bright's hand in an unfriendly handshake. "Same for you, too."

Silence filled the air. Altessa rolled her eyes.

Bright found something else to say. "I am Prince Bright of the Jewelry Kingdom, and this is my sister, Princess Altessa."

The ruby-eyed prince gently nudged Altessa, his eyes urging her to be more courteous. Altessa grumbled and dropped into a curtsy. "Nice to meet you," she muttered.

Before Auler could say something in return, Sophie piped up. "I'm Sophie," broke in the princess of the Windmill Kingdom, revealing an innocent smile. "It's a pleasure the royal family of the Jewelry Kingdom! I've heard Otou-sama say lots of things about you!"

"Like what?" Bright and Altessa questioned in unison.

Sophie clapped her gloved hands together. "Otou-sama always spoke about how Camellia-sama gets on his nerves. I've never seen him get this angry in my life besides talking about — "

"What are you indicating about my mother?" interrupted Altessa, glaring at Sophie. To add insult to injury, Sophie still had that naive grin. It was almost as if she didn't think whatever she said was bad, nor was she thinking that she was insulting them. Altessa automatically rendered Sophie as a complete airhead in her thoughts. 

Sophie was babbling again. "That she's just like you! I think that's so cute! Like mother, like daughter they always say... oh, wait, was it 'like mother, like son?' Oh, well, I'm so confused!" She concluded with a titter.

"You!" screeched Altessa, her hands balling into fists. "You better keep quiet or else I'm going to — "

Bright immediately leaped into the action. "All right, that's enough." He turned to Auler. "Would you like to stay for tea at our garden? Our specialty is peach tea."

"Sure, I guess," murmured Auler in reply. Altessa could tell that he could care less in whether he wanted to attend or not, and he was at the tea party just to be polite.

When the four took a seat in the teahouse, Bright tried to start a conversation again. "Don't you like this view? My great-grandfather thought that this would be a good place to build the teahouse."

"It looks lovely," commented Auler, taking a sip of the tea.

Sophie nodded in agreement. "Yes. I do cherish the idea of a beautiful garden. I just love flowers!"

Bright grinned. "That's nice to hear. My sister loves flowers too." He pointed to the rose bush resting adjacent to them. "She planted all those roses this year." 

Sophie thoughtfully pondered this for a moment. "Wait, I don't understand." A lightbulb seemed to click in her head. "Ohhhh, you mean it was _Altessa_ who planted these?" 

Altessa could see that Bright was visibly losing patience with Sophie. _Airhead_, thought Altessa again. At this rate, Sophie would probably be awarded for the Most Retarded Thinker of the Wonder Planet.

Altessa rolled her eyes again, sighing in discomfort. At this rate, she would be sitting here for at least a couple of hours listening to her brother start up boring conversations. Bright continued bringing up general topics in which Sophie would automatically reply to but as Altessa slowly took a sip out of her cup, she noticed Auler staring glumly at his teacup. 

Even though Altessa knew Auler was part of the rivaling clan, she couldn't help but feel a sort of sympathy towards him. His eyes truthfully seemed depressed, and he didn't seem cheerful at all. Altessa sighed, and made an approach.

"Prince Auler? What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Auler quickly snapped into attention, and was completely bewildered when he found out that it was Altessa who asked him the question. He shrugged with a weak smile, mumbling,"Oh, nothing at all."

"You should say what's wrong," said Altessa assertively. "If you won't share your problems, it will only build up and become much more worse."

"It's not that much of a big deal." 

"It _is_ a big deal if you're so sad about it." 

"Not really."

"Aren't you going to tell me?"

"I-It's none of your business." Auler looked away.

Altessa glared at him and leaped from her seat. "Look, I'm only trying to help. If you don't want my sympathy, then don't come crying to me." She slammed her fists onto the table, causing her fork to jump up in a strange dance, and it made Auler's teacake fall into the ground.

Unfortunately, Bright witnessed Altessa's irritable behavior. "Altessa!" he said in a warning tone.

"I'm sorry," grumbled Altessa, plopping back onto the chair, murmuring strings of curses under her breath. Noticing the crumbled cake on the ground next to Auler's chair, Altessa glanced at her own. It was rude of her to cause Auler's treat fall onto the ground and Bright would probably make her apologize to him. Before Bright could call a servant over to offer Auler a variety of cakes, Altessa pushed her plate over to his side.

"Here, you can have mine,"said Altessa in a low voice. "I'm not all that hungry anyway."

Auler reached for the plate. "Thanks."

Before his fingertips grazed the surface of the plate, Altessa sprouted an idea and yanked it back. "Hold on there for a minute. Tell me what's wrong and _then_ I'll give it to you."

Auler frowned. "No thanks, then."

Altessa had it with Auler's enigma. She marched over to the prince of the Windmill Kingdom, glaring hotly at him. "You! Do you have any reason to be sad at all if nothing's wrong?! Why won't you tell anyone?! If your problem is affecting you that much, no one will be mean to you!" 

"Altessa!" The blonde could hear her brother shout at her. She ignored his warning and continued.

Auler weakly stared at her, startled. "I told you, it's none of your business."

"I beg to differ," scoffed the princess of the Jewelry Kingdom. "It's my business that you're unhappy. Onii-sama invited you to come here for a reason, right? We did not call you over just for you to mope around. Why won't you tell us what's going on? Maybe we can help."

"I doubt you would want to help your worst enemies," responded Auler flatly. "You'd probably laugh."

"_How many times do I have to say it_?!" screeched Altessa, tempers flaring in high levels. "Ugh! You're just being — you're just...!"

Everything happened in a flash. The next thing Altessa knew, a red handprint formed on the side of Auler's face. The handprint was the size of Altessa's own hand, which stung bitterly. Immediately, a pallid Altessa realized what she had done... it was all over; her reputation, her role as a princess, her life...

... and especially Auler's feelings.

Altessa remembered the sole purpose of Bright's invitation was to help ease things between the Jewelry Kingdom and the Windmill Kingdom. She had ruined all of that. Not only did she hurt Auler physically, but emotionally too. She had tried to force him to open his heart, milk out his feelings, and spill his guts out. What did he think of her now? What did he think of the Jewelry Kingdom?

Altessa bit her nails, helpless. Choking back a cry, she gasped, "I... I didn't mean for that to happen... I just..."

Though she had had thoughts about violence, she had never actually hurt someone that much before. Altessa buried her face into her palms, sobbing,"I... I... I never really meant to hurt you... I just wanted to know what was wrong..."

"Altessa," piped up Bright, coming to his sister's aid.

Jeweled tears fell from Altessa's eyes. "I'm... I'm really..."

"It's okay." 

Altessa's head shot up. Auler had a wobbly smile on his face, and he was rubbing the cheek that Altessa had planted her slap on. "It's really not that big of a deal,"he continued, "but I'm glad you noticed."

Auler hesitated, and shrugged. "Maybe I can tell you now."

"A-Are you sure about it?" inquired Altessa clutching onto Bright's arm. "If you don't want to —"

Auler shook his head. "I can tell, if you want to listen."

Altessa relaxed, releasing her intense grip on Bright's sleeve. "Okay..."

Auler looked out into the garden, where Altessa's roses lay. "I just found out that my father wants me to give a speech to the citizens of our kingdom. I thought it was really exciting, but now I've realized how nervous I am. I don't really want to give a speech right now. I don't really want to tell Chichiue either... I think he'll be mad at me."

"That's stupid," replied Altessa, feeling safe to return back into her normal self again. Auler stared at her with an expression of shock mixed with sadness.

She caught her tongue. "Not you, silly," said Altessa. "It's the speech. If you don't feel ready, then tell your parents. I know you don't want to, but sometimes everyone has to do things they don't want."

Auler seemed satisfied. "I see..." 

"I'm pretty sure they'll understand," added Altessa.

The prince of the Windmill Kingdom seemed to have his depression lifted. "I can do that if I try... yes, I can! Thanks!"

"As expected of Altessa!" Sophie commented. "Just as wise as she is violent."

Altessa shot her an angry stare. "How about I show you some wisdom... right from my fist!"

The day ended as quickly as it began.

When Bright and Altessa stood in front of the Windmill Kingdom airship, giving Auler and Sophie their salutations Auler and Sophie exchanged handshakes. (Well, Sophie tried to shake hands with Altessa... but Altessa refused.) As Sophie started up into the airship, Auler took a step back.

"Hold on, Sophie." 

"Sure, Onii-sama."

Auler bounded back out, but there was something about him that seemed so different to Altessa. His cheeks were rosy like the sunset for some unknown reason and his eyes held a mischievious twinkle in them that she'd never seen before in anyone throughout the short years of her life.

"Will we meet again?" asked Auler cautiously, taking her hand. 

Altessa glanced up at him, puzzled. She withdrew her hand forcefully, folding her arms gracefully across her chest. "Of course we will. There's that balloon race, remember?" 

"Altessa, why—?" Auler tried to question about her sudden unfriendliness.

"We're rivals, remember?" retorted Altessa. "Just because you're nice doesn't mean I'm letting you beat Onii-sama."

"Onii-sama! It's getting late!" warned Sophie, waving furiously from her spot on the airship.

"A-Ah, sure..." Auler solemnly turned away, and headed for his transportation home.

Behind him, a voice spoke his name. "Prince Auler."

Auler quickly turned back. Altessa had wiped the glare off her face and returned a shy, awkward smile; a genuine smile, not a forced grin like she had to wear throughout their first meeting. Surprised by this confusing turn of events. Auler hesitated. Seeing at just how she really didn't mean to hurt him, Auler grinned widely before whooping.

The airship soon disappeared off into the horizon.


	10. pick up my love with chopsticks

**Disclaimer:** No property of _Fushigiboshi no Futago Hime_ belongs to me. All characters and related titles are copyrighted to BIRTHDAY, NAS, TV Tokyo, BANDAI NETWORKS, NEC Interchannel, Ciao Comics, Hal Film Maker, etc. Just remember that I hold no ownership to them. I don't even hold ownership over the Princess Collection CDs my brother bought.

* * *

**Author's note:** These themes are done for the LiveJournal community 31days. I successfully took upon the February 2006 challenge, writing a drabble every day in that month. Without fail, I bring you this fanfic from the depths of my mind!

There also will be spoilers for those who haven't followed the series to where I am at now, so read at your own risk!

* * *

**Tears of Yesterday  
Theme #10 - pick up my love with chopsticks**

* * *

Altessa often practiced making pastries during her training to become the best princess of the Wonder Planet. Many times she practiced cultivating gingerbread houses for Christmas, sculpting chocolate hearts for Valentine's Day, and even a brownie cheesecake for whatever occasion. Sometimes, if Bright wasn't busy studying or doing whatever he normally did, he accompanied her into making confections and sweets with her. Most of the time, Altessa would be the one who would end up making everything, since Bright was often called away for his princely duties. Still, he usually nabbed the first bite of Altessa's creations right when she presented them to him for an opinion.

One afternoon, Altessa showed Bright something she called the "Diamond Sparkle", which was just a cake with tons of sugar sprinkles to give it a glittering effect. The moment Bright received a slice from her, he pulled out a pair of two pairs of eating utensils from out of the blue and began eating with it.

"Onii-sama, what are you doing?" asked Altessa, frowning at the random action Bright committed.

Bright continued picking at the cake as if nothing had happened. It quickly occured to him that she was referring to what he was eating with. He stuck out his hand, showing Altessa the two sticks in his hand, casually saying,"These are chopsticks. I read about them quite a while ago, but I've never managed to have enough time to receive a pair. I've always wanted to try them out."

Altessa glanced at them in curiosity. "How can someone eat with two sticks?"

Bright shrugged. "Some people just manage," he answered with a sly grin.

The blonde plopped down into her chair and picked up her own eating utensils. "I'd rather eat with a fork and a knife."

Her brother only broke out into a round of amused laughter at her response. "You should try something new once in a while,"suggested Bright between bites.

"Maybe later," replied Altessa, carefully pushing a bite of her cake in between her strawberry-colored lips.

Bright pointed to the cake. "This is scrumptious," he commented.

"Do you like it?" 

Bright shook his head. "No. I love it. You should make more of these often if you have the time, Altessa."

Altessa smiled. "Sure," she responded, "but only if you ditch those sticks."

Bright laughed again. "Maybe later."


End file.
